subConch, a device to make music with our mind

February 26, 2014 by Faena Aleph

An art and technology project has developed an interface to play music solely by activating your mind.

Mind-controlled technology represents one of the fastest growing fields in technological development. Controlling things with our minds through the use of electroencephalograph nodes or, recently, wireless technology even, is no longer a materialized stimulating science fiction idea; it can be incredibly practical —especially for people with some sort of disability. Moving objects with our mind brings us close to a sort of supernatural power, which reminds us of Arthur C. Clarke’s words: “a sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”

Playing with this quasi-magical aspect of technology, Mats J. Siversten has created subConch, a musical instrument that one plays with nothing but the mind. The instrument, which is even equipped with a sexy shape ––modeled after the conch’s feminine shape––, is connected to an electroencephalograph band that reads the user’s brain waves, which, in turn, control the audio’s characteristics. To control the sound, the musician has to train himself for a few minutes, going through something that resembles a guided meditation. This time is also used to create the user’s cerebral profile.

This neuro-instrument is also an art installation, and, as light pulses against a wall (showing that light and sound can sometimes be two manifestations of the same transmission), the generated sounds unfold.

While the music that can be produced by this instrument has yet to reach sophistication and richness of other devices, subConch is a brushstroke that opens a completely new dimension, further erasing the border between the artist and demigod.

Mind-controlled technology represents one of the fastest growing fields in technological development. Controlling things with our minds through the use of electroencephalograph nodes or, recently, wireless technology even, is no longer a materialized stimulating science fiction idea; it can be incredibly practical —especially for people with some sort of disability. Moving objects with our mind brings us close to a sort of supernatural power, which reminds us of Arthur C. Clarke’s words: “a sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”

Playing with this quasi-magical aspect of technology, Mats J. Siversten has created subConch, a musical instrument that one plays with nothing but the mind. The instrument, which is even equipped with a sexy shape ––modeled after the conch’s feminine shape––, is connected to an electroencephalograph band that reads the user’s brain waves, which, in turn, control the audio’s characteristics. To control the sound, the musician has to train himself for a few minutes, going through something that resembles a guided meditation. This time is also used to create the user’s cerebral profile.

This neuro-instrument is also an art installation, and, as light pulses against a wall (showing that light and sound can sometimes be two manifestations of the same transmission), the generated sounds unfold.

While the music that can be produced by this instrument has yet to reach sophistication and richness of other devices, subConch is a brushstroke that opens a completely new dimension, further erasing the border between the artist and demigod.